Fraternity of Bone and Ash
By their very nature, the followers of the gods of darkness gather away from the eyes of decent folk. These are people such as the Nameless Order that serves Vesh or the Shadow Cathedral the thief god Nightshade, for whom secrecy is their greatest shield and sometimes, their greatest weapon.
Still, by far the most sinister and most feared are the worshippers of Lesav, the Fraternity of Bone and Ash. These fanatics are the bringers of death and undeath, and theirs are the blackest of rites. Gods only know just what vile deeds they commit in their unholy temples.
Structure
Like many of the followers of the gods of darkness, the Fraternity of Bone and Ash is very informally organized. Their singular name is somewhat deceptive, as they are better described as a collection of cults, united only by their vile Lesavan faith. These cults only rarely communicate with one another, and are sometimes even in conflict.
While the specifics of these cults' leadership varies, they are most often organized in a mockery of their enemies, the Order of Eternal Repose. These cults are made up mostly of practitioners of arcane and divine magic. Often, the most powerful mage and priest are the archmagus and hierophant of the cult.
There are dark whispers that the Lesavan faith is ruled by single priest and necromancer. Still, the secretive nature of the Fraternity means that the truth of the matter is unknown. Even most individual cultists do not know the truth of the matter, leaving only the sinister suggestion of their presence.
History
The followers of Lesav were among the first people to venerate the gods. These worshippers were known as the Order of Dust, and date back as far as the days of the Ancient Elven Empire. They were not quite so malicious as the Fraternity of Bone and Ash, accepting both death and undeath.
This changed when Selai, goddess of war and divine sister of Lesav fell in love with a mortal warrior. From there, she turned her divinity in gentler directions, endeavoring to become a guardian goddess instead. Lesav saw this as the ultimate betrayal, and fell into madness.
She became bitter and vengeful. In her madness, she attempted to murder the Twin Worlds, themselves. The Great Divine saw this as a violation of the cycle of life and death, and burned her. He then appointed the mortal judge Ilovar as the new god of death.
When this happened, the Order of Dust was split in two. Most joined the service of Ilovar, becoming the Order of Eternal Repose. The rest stayed with the corrupted and diminished version of their goddess. These became the dreaded Fraternity of Bone and Ash, dedicated to the purpose of bringing death to the Twin Worlds.
As practitioners of the blackest magic and fanatics working towards the darkest causes, they have had their fair share of vile schemes. They even worked behind the scenes to aid the necromancer Mortis the Ashen. He was not allied with them, however, so they worked in secret, as they often do.
Since that time, they have carried out far more plots in opposition to all living things in the Twin Worlds. They are often stopped by the work of the Ilovarans or the heroic efforts of adventurers. Still, no matter how many Lesavan cults are defeated, there are always more carrying out their vile deeds.
Tenets of Faith
Primarily, Lesav is a goddess of undeath, the purest mockery of life, itself. Where the priests of Ilovar consider themselves to be servants of death, they believe that the forces of death exist to serve them. As such, the magic of necromancy is sacred to them, and the act of reanimating the dead is a holy endeavor.
In addition, the living are also anathema to the dread goddess Lesav. While Vesh is the goddess of murder, bringing death is also considered to be sacred to the Fraternity. This is often paired with their reverence for undeath, meaning they rarely lack for undead servants.
Due to her fall, vengeance fills Lesav's divine heart. This is true of her followers, as well. Most are wounded souls, and seek bloody vengeance against those who hurt them. Ultimately, most consider the Twin Worlds to be their enemy, and work to bring death to them, just as their goddess once tried.
Worship
The rites and services of the Lesavan faith are infamous among all of the Twin Worlds. They meet in the dark of night, or well away from civilized eyes. There they are said to perform the most vile of rituals with the darkest of magics. There they are said to wallow in their wickedness.
Unlike most such stories told by the uninitiated, this image is not far from the truth. Most of these rites involve humanoid sacrifice and are always culminated in the reanimation of the sacrifice. These vile rituals are common enough that these cultists always have a great many undead creatures that serve them.
Priesthood
Lesav is seen as one of the most sinister gods in the entire pantheon. As such, very few are attracted to her worship. While some of her worshippers are raised in the faith, most find it after the fact. Mostly, this occurs after some terrible loss or slight against them turns them bitter and vengeful.
As such, even the laypeople of the faith are dedicated to the point of fanaticism. Those who have actual status within the cults are unmatched in their dedication, to the point of madness. Their fervor can often whip their flock into murderous frenzy.
One thing all of these people have in common is magical abilities. Some are given power directly from the goddess, much as any other priest. Others, however, are studied in arcane magic. These are invariably necromancers that specialize in the darkest magics that school has to offer.
